Saving Seafood

ALASKA: Increasing quality, safety, and sustainability of Alaska seafood

October 30, 2026 — The seafood marketplace is a battleground, and the fight between wild and farmed salmon has raged since the early 2000s. “One industry spurs the other to make changes,” says Julie Decker, president of the Pacific Seafood Processors Association—the PSPA. Decker will be speaking on a panel titled: Value Starts on Deck: Creating a Culture of Food Safety, Quality, and Sustainability Onboard. Joining Decker on the panel are Seafood Consultant John Boyce of Cultivate SA and Lisa Goche, CEO of Seafood Collaborators LLC.

“We’re looking at a three-pronged approach,” says Boyce. “Safety, Quality, and Sustainability. I will talk about safety, Julie will talk about quality, and Lisa will talk about sustainability.”

Speaking with Decker and Boyce, both want to amplify the message that food safety and quality begin on deck. “We have to think of fish as food as soon as it comes out of the water,” says Decker, noting that other suppliers to the global salmon market such as the Russians and the aquaculture industry have certain advantages that force Alaska fishermen to up their game. “There was a crash in the early 2000s where we realized we had to do a lot of things differently, and one of those things was to increase quality.”

Read the full article at the National Fisherman

ALASKA: Report finds most Alaskan seafood samples do not contain traceable amounts of “forever chemicals”

August 6, 2026 — A peer-reviewed study found that many seafood products harvested in Alaska contain low or non-detectable levels of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), commonly known as “forever chemicals.”

Researchers investigated PFAS concentrations in Alaskan seafood that was commercially harvested, analyzing edible tissue from 11 fish and shellfish species comprising five species of salmon, as well as halibut, cod, pollock, sablefish, bairdi crab, and red king crab.

Read the full article at SeafoodSource

Gulf Seafood Institute’s Newest Member Jennifer Young is International Seafood Safety Specialist

September 20, 2015 — Sitting on a beach enjoying the sunset on a remote Pacific island has been a perk enjoyed by Jennifer Young during her last seven years as a food safety specialist based in Hawaii, but as the Pacific’s waves gently broke against the shore she realized something was missing. But in her heart she realized she missed the bayous of Louisiana and the Gulf seafood she enjoyed.

Young, owner of Food Safety Solutions and the Gulf Seafood Institute’s newest member, is glad to be back home in Louisiana, as well as a new member an organization that she sees a loud and clear voice for Gulf seafood.

“I loved my time on the Island, but to be honest I missed the culture and the food of Louisiana, especially the seafood,” I was also starting to get frustrated by the direction of the industry and its limitations, such as the tug of war with annual catch limits and imposed longline fishery closures. While I still maintain an office in Hawaii staffed with experienced professionals, my heart finally led me back home to Louisiana.”

Originally from a small town south of Alexandria, she attended the University of Southwest Louisiana, now the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, and received her Bachelor of Business Administration of the American Intercontinental University founded in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Young is a registered Safe Quality Food (SQF) Consultant and has obtained certification in High Risk Food Sector Category 9 and 11, as well as 21 CFR Part 123 Seafood Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP).   She is also a National Environmental Health Association Registered Food Safety Trainer, and is accredited to develop Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) programs, as well as British Retail Consortium programs and Good Manufacturing Practices.

Read the full story at Gulf Seafood Institute